User blog:Spike Angel/Blazing Rescue-Chapter 9
The stars twinkled brightly in the night sky as 4 Monster Machines and two humans slept peacefully. One Monster Machine was still awake, with only one thought in his mind: Life just wasn't fair sometimes. Blaze was familiar with this universal truth despite his racing career directly contradicting it. Still, that didn't mean life had to be downright cruel. What had he done to deserve this? What had his PARENTS done to deserve this? It wouldn't surprise Blaze if he learned that Crusher was behind this. Sure, at best, Crusher was nothing more than a spoiled brat who threw tantrums when he didn't get his way, and his inventions were nuisances, but that didn't mean he was incapable of orchestrating a kidnapping, using a bakery robbery as a distraction. Blaze had to admit the plan was very clever. Not only that, but for once, it had actually managed to work. But, if Blaze knew anything, it was that he has always managed to foil Crusher's plots before, and he wouldn't fail this time. No; he COULDN'T fail this time. As cheesy as it sounded, the only way Blaze would be able to push his worries aside for now and finally get some sleep was to sing about them. Blaze quietly left the sleeping quarters, lest he wake his friends. Especially Darington and Zeg, who needed rest more than anyone right now. Once Blaze was far enough from his friends that he was sure he wouldn't wake them, he began to sing. "I can almost see it That dream I'm dreaming but There's a voice inside my head saying You'll never reach it. Every step I'm taking, Every move I make feels Lost with no direction My faith is shaking." Blaze paused to pull out his family portrait. The picture, dated just months before his move to Axel City, depicts Blaze and his parents engaged in a group hug while beaming at the camera. A tear falls onto the picture. It ripples like a raindrop in a pond as Blaze remembered all the cherished memories he shared with his parents; Saying his first word at 1 year old in the middle of his Uncle's wedding ceremony. Driving for the first time at the age of 2... 2 year old Blaze wanted to try driving. He saw Mommy and Daddy do it all the time, so how hard could it be? Blaze shakily stood on his wheels. "Phoenix, get the camera! I think Blaze wants to try driving!" Ember realized. "Coming, Ember!" Phoenix replied, grabbing the camera and rushing to the living room. Phoenix pressed record just as Blaze began driving. "C'mon, sweetie, come to Mommy!" Ember encouraged, holding out her tires. Blaze shakily began to drive. "That's it, buddy, you've got it!" Phoenix encouraged. As their toddler shakily drove toward them, Phoenix and Ember held a shared hope that Blaze would master driving, as his father did at his age. This hope evaporated in the 30 seconds it took Blaze to drive his first kilometres, hit the floor, and start crying. Phoenix and Ember rushed to their son. "Aww, its ok, buddy. You're only learning." Phoenix consoled, patting his hood. Ember picked Blaze up and started rocking him. "Shh, Blaze, don't cry, it's ok. Just like Daddy said, you're only learning." Ember consoled, wiping her son's tears away. After a few minutes, Blaze stopped crying. "We can try again later, sweetie. Keep your hood up, Blaze, you'll learn how in no time." Ember encouraged, gently lifting his chin with her tire as she did so. "But I Gotta keep trying Gotta keep my head held high!" "Cause there's always gonna be another mountain I'm always gonna wanna make it move!" As Blaze sang this line, he remembered some of the hardships he's experienced in life: Being gawked at and even bullied for being the only Monster Machine with coloured eyes. Exclusion from racing events at school after 13 thanks to his newly discovered "advantage" that one of his classmates named "Blazing Speed" after him. And even worse, in the rare moments he WAS allowed to race, not ONLY was he the last resort, he was OFTEN accused of cheating, regardless of whether he used his Blazing Speed or not. It got to the point where, after races, Blaze would drive to the locker room and cry, his hysterical sobbing drowned out by his car radio. Blaze's parents, having had just about enough of the school doing nothing about their son being bullied, pulled him out of that school and enrolled him elsewhere. It was at that other school where Blaze met trucks he has been keeping touch with since graduation. Trucks that had embraced not only his eye colour, but his Blazing Speed as well. Trucks he had formed lifelong bonds with. "Always gonna be an uphill battle Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose!" Ubeknownst to Blaze, his friends had awoken some time ago and what they heard had left them awestruck. Of course, they all, AJ especially, knew he could sing. They remembered that time when he sang to Crusher's Robo-Bear at the latest Truck Rangers meeting. But this was unlike anything they had ever heard before. "Ain't about how fast I get there Ain't about what's waiting on the other side It's the climb!" Blaze began singing the second verse, still unaware of his captive audience: "The struggles I'm facing The chances I'm taking Sometimes might knock me down but No I'm not breaking I may not know it But these are the moments that I'm going to remember most yeah Just got to keep going And I I gotta be strong Just keep pushing on, 'cause There's always gonna be another mountain I'm always gonna wanna make it move Always gonna be an uphill battle Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose Ain't about how fast I get there Ain't about what's waiting on the other side It's the climb (yeah) There's always gonna be another mountain I'm always gonna wanna make it move Always gonna be a uphill battle Sometimes you gonna have to lose Ain't about how fast I get there Ain't about what's waiting on the other side It's the climb (yeah yeah ea ea) Keep on moving Keep climbing Keep the faith baby It's all about It's all about The climb Keep the faith Keep your faith Whoa oh oh!" Blaze vocalized, ending the song. Blaze was about to go check up on his friends when he felt AJ hugging him. "That was AWESOME, Blaze!" AJ praised. Before Blaze could thank AJ for the compliment, he found himself in a massive group hug. "Aww, thanks, everyone. I hope I didn't wake any of you up." Blaze thanked. "Nah, we've been up for a while. We were just looking for you when we heard you singing." Darington explained, Zeg wiping his tears of joy from hearing the song. Blaze was about to respond when he was interrupted by a rumbling noise... "Oh no! Is the volcano erupting?!" Gabby panicked. Everyone panicked for a moment, before realizing that the volcano was dormant, and no one had eaten breakfast that morning because they immediately left to search for Blaze after realizing he was gone. "Silly friends, that not volcano, that Zeg tummy!" Zeg giggled. "Wait, did any of you eat before looking for me?" Blaze asked. Every head except for Blaze's shook negatively. Blaze was shocked. Did his disappearance worry the gang THAT MUCH?! "Did you guys skip breakfast cause of me?!" Blaze asked, dreading a positive answer. "No, we knew you had just gone for an early morning drive. We were just fixing breakfast when we heard you singing." Starla half-truthed, not wanting Blaze to know that they thought he had been abducted along with his parents, driving around the island like decapitated chickens until they found him. Blaze sighed in relief. He didn't need anyone going hungry on his watch. Especially with his parents still out there somewhere. Blaze mentally scolded himself for being so selfish. How could he have forgotten about Darington and Zeg? Blaze hoped that their first dose of fresh air since the gang's shared near death experience had done them some good. That, and some tender love and care from Dr. Gabby. But, there was another thing he had been neglecting to address since even before his parents' surprise visit-his crush on a certain cowgirl. How was he going to tell her? When would he tell her? WOULD he tell her? What if she said no? Phoenix and Ember had raised a gentleman who knew that-especially when it came to relationships-no means no. That didn't mean possible rejection from Starla wouldn't sting, though. Blaze shook his head dismissively. A beautiful girl like her would never go for a guy like him anyway. Despite his insecurities, Blaze knew it was now or never. A beautiful girl like Starla would be in a relationship before he even had the chance to confess. Blaze couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy as he heard his friends laughing at a joke Darington had told. None of them knew what it felt like to have a crush. To tear themselves apart over whether to tell someone how they felt about them, or if the other person even returned their feelings. Well, if it was any consolation, at least Darington and Zeg were feeling better. Maybe, then, they could do more than just mope around. Wait-now that he thought about it, what HAD his so called "friends" done to help so far? Stripes had done nothing but panic, Darington and Zeg slowed everyone down with their seasickness, and Gabby had made no further effort to help find his parents! All Starla had done was reduce him to a lovesick teenager, again, distracting him from his primary objective. The only one who had actually stuck by his side through all this was AJ. It made sense-He and AJ had been through everything together. He had never judged Blaze for his coloured eyes or Blazing Speed, telling him he liked him just he way he is. Blaze remembered the first time AJ had said that; he became so happy he burst into tears of joy. AJ had become livid when Blaze explained the reasoning behind his tears. He had never seen AJ that angry before, and he hoped to keep it that way. Back to the situation at hand, there were times when he and AJ had ALMOST DIED to help his "friends" and how had they repaid him?! By being lazy bums in his time of need. Blaze hoped they found his parents soon, because he didn't know how much more of this he could take. Blaze was startled back to reality via a surprise hug from Darington. "There you are, buddy!" Darington giggled. "You kinda spaced out there." of?! He was out for 15 minutes!" Stripes thought. "Breakfast is ready, by the way. Wanna hear about that time before we met you and AJ when I almost caused a fire at a barbecue at the park?" Darington offered. Blaze's friends shuddered in disgust at the memory. I even wanna know?" Blaze and AJ thought simultaneously. As disgusting as the story sounded, Blaze would give anything for a distraction right now. AJ was internally begging Blaze to refuse the offer. Zeg and Darington had already done enough vomiting, and he didn't want to jump on the bandwagon. "Sure, buddy, why not?" Blaze agreed. And, with that, much to AJ's chagrin, Darington began his tale. Category:Blog posts